Hours before daylight in the icy spring air. Snow capped peaks in the distance reflecting the silver of the moon. The mountain calls to you, It is time. Time to leave the comfort of camp and strive for the summit. Setting out, you know the journey will not be easy, or safe. It will take every ounce of your energy. But this idea is unshakable, it is captivating and the only thing that will satiate your desire is achieving your goal.
To those who look on from the outside it seems like sheer folly, or madness. Even within ones own self, it seems this way at times. After all, why take the risk? Why endure the hardship? What is driving you to embark on this voyage? Is it the beauty of the mountain? Or, perhaps it is the challenge or adventure? Do the benefits warrant the risk? How do you even measure it?!
At Massif Consulting we liken a new venture to climbing a mountain. This is because, for many entrepreneurs, the fundamental reason they start is as inexplicable as that of the mountain climber. Their vision, that silvery moonlit summit, is their fuel. When times are tough, that vision is the driving force to put one foot in front of the next and pressing forward. It is for this reason that the business image or logo is quite so important. It is not just a generic collection of shapes and letters, it is the encapsulation of your vision. Every time you take out your business card, or load your website, you see your vision and are able to take that next step into the unknown.
With the vision firmly established, it is time for some rough planning. Take a look at the map, set an early objective and start moving! It is easy to get bogged down in the detail and second guessing: Where are the dangers? How steep is the trail up to the summit? What about the weather? What if this, or that? The variables are infinite and changing day by day. Without getting out and getting moving, the answers will never arrive. While it is essential to get moving to best understand and compose the plan, one must be circumspect, careful and aware of the dangers.
Break up the journey into smaller achievable targets or milestones and focus on the immediate situation. Try different angles, see what works best and don’t be afraid to step back and try again. In business, websites are a great way to test a product or service offering. They can change with minimal cost and provide an amazing tool to first get your idea more developed, receive feedback from customers and in a lot of cases, to start selling and having some cash coming in!
With some early wins and achievements, a clearer vision of the objective, and environment and situation, start to document your learning. A climber knows that reaching the summit is only the half-way point of a climb. The second half is the most dangerous part of the journey. For business the same is true. Achieving scale and expansion is dangerous. Accounts payable and receivable grow and without a proper plan, cash is squeezed, and bad things happen. So just as the climber plans the trip out and back, the business needs to plan to expand, manage cash flow, and finally, to exit and move on to the next adventure.